What’s in Daddy’s Hospital Bag?

Hey, fellow momma! I’m so glad you stopped by today! Are you wondering what you’ll need to have in Daddy’s Hospital Bag? Look no further, I’ve got you covered!

First, CONGRATULATIONS! New babies are THE BESTand I am so happy for you! Motherhood is absolutely amazing; this is going to be the best roller coaster ride of your life!

There is a lot to prepare for during pregnancy. As much as it can stink, it’s a good thing pregnancy lasts nine months! You need that time to do all the prep work! I know it can be overwhelming. I’ve been there!

But, I’m going to help you! We’ll check at least one of those many things to do off your list.

You’ll be preparedwhen the day comes, whether it’s today, tomorrow or in a few weeks.

You’ll be confident that you have what you need when you head to the hospital to welcome your little one into your life.

Today, let’s take a closer look at the hospital bag. That’s what brought you here, after all. There are lots of lists of things for mom and baby to take to the hospital

But what about DADDY?

Do you want the best hospital stay possible? That’s exactly what you’ll get by following this list.

My biggest mistake happened with my second baby. And that’s why this list is different than the other packing lists out there. This list is made from experience! From BAD experience.

There was a secret that no one told mewhen I went to have my second baby and it could’ve saved me. Do you want to know this secret? You don’t have to learn the hard way, because I’m going to tell you the secret. Ready?

Not all hospitals are created equally.

Obviously, hospitals have different layouts and available facilities, but the differences go deeper. Between our first and second babies, we moved to a new state… and a new hospital. Our second hospital was less… accommodating than our first. In fact, these small differences made us miserable while we were there.

If you have never delivered at the hospital you will be delivering your baby at this time, take a hospital tour! Find out what is provided and what you’ll need to provide yourself.

We were so under-prepared and we were the ones that suffered. There were things I regretted not having, but my poor husband got the short stick on that hospital stay. So, help Daddy out and pack him a bag too!

No, you can’t pack up a nice bed for daddy to sleep in, but there are some things you can take that would make daddy’s stay at the hospital a little more comfy.

Which means, Daddy can help YOU.

When a new baby is born, Mommy gets most of the focus – and rightfully so – but don’t let Daddy be miserable either. A new baby is a big change in his life too. Be prepared and you can all enjoy this beginning of your new adventure!

I’ve done all the work for you and even given you links to each product. The links in this post will take you to Amazon, where you can easily purchase these items and have them delivered right to your doorstep. No end-of-pregnancy waddling around the store for you! Just sit on the couch, eat chocolate truffles and wait for the mail to be delivered! I will get a small portion of any purchase you decide to make, but it in no way affects your cost. These links are one way I help support this site. Thanks! Here’s the list!

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #1:

Pillow. Daddy should have a decent pillow, even if it’s just a travel size one. He’ll probably be trying to catch his zzz’s whenever he can, just like you. Skip the super flat or too-poofy hospital pillows and get him a pillow filled to his liking. Besides, if he has a good pillow, he’s less likely to snore and keep you up. Hospital rooms can echo… the pillow is worth it. This travel pillow is great because it’s small, but effective and if it gets ruined or left behind it’s not a big loss.

Taking your own snacks will save you money and Daddy won’t have to hunt down vending machines or the cafeteria. He (and you!) can get into his stash any time his little heart desires, whether the cafeteria is open or not. We usually take a small soft-sided lunch bag for things that need to be kept cool with an ice pack or two wrapped in aluminium foil. By the time the ice melts, the food is gone.

Make sure there are some low-aroma snacks Daddy can munch on while you’re in labor. You probably won’t be allowed to eat and labor makes my oversensitive nose go into overdrive! Any kind of food smells make me nauseous. But I always raid his snacks after I’ve had a baby. Child birth is a lot of hard work and I’m always famished afterward! Want a quick and easy way to get those snacks? This snack basket will come right to your door and it doubles great as a “New Daddy” gift!

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #3:

Extra shirts. No one wants to wear “the badge of fatherhood” all day. Take a couple extra shirts for daddy. He will probably end up wearing some kind of bodily secretion by the end of the day. It’s a great time to get him a fun “Dad” shirt and he’ll appreciate not smelling like curdled breast milk or formula… or worse. You can click any image below to see that specific shirt. These shirts are fun and Daddy can wear them long after you leave the hospital.

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #4:

Sweats, athletic shorts or other PJ’s. Nurses, lab technicians and a whole slew of people will come and go from your room at all hours of the day and night. Unless Dad plans to spend 24/7 in his clothes, he’ll want something comfy to sleep in, but also something he feels sufficiently covered up while wearing. Your body will be on display to just about every medical professional that comes into your room, but Daddy will probably prefer a little more privacy. These options are great, can be used after your hospital stay, would go great in a “New Dad” gift basket and will come right to your doorstep! You can click each image for more details. If you get Daddy in that first one, be sure to take photos. 😉

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #5:

Towel. My epidurals tend to take longer than most people’s to wear off and I was numb for HOURS after they took it out. Because I was still a little numb, my husband was not about to let me stand up by myself in a slippery shower.

The towels our first hospital did provide were not great and almost too small to thoroughly dry off and our second hospital only provided one, which we’d used to mop up a spilled pitcher of water. These towels are nice and big though!

I’m just gonna be blunt here and suggest a dark color to help hide stains. You can use this towel for the next few weeks until you stop bleeding. Whether you toss it after that or hang on to it for your next childbirth adventure is up to you.

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #6:

Swim trunks. These are to wear in the shower if Daddy isn’t keen on the possibility of doctors or nurses catching him in his birthday suit. We didn’t bother and just jumped in the shower in our typical attire – or lack thereof – but my husband was in the military and not a stranger to public showers. If Daddy is a little more conservative and worried about modesty, swim trunks might help ease the discomfort and allow him to help you more. These basic trunks are great and not a big loss if you need to throw them out afterward.

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #7:

Laptop, tablet or other things to do. While I wouldn’t want my husband anywhere but the delivery room while I deliver, I don’t really want him to smother me either.

I am a silent sufferer and prefer to be left alone than have my hair stroked or shoulders rubbed. I want him there, but not in my face. If you want Daddy right there, breathing through the contractions with you, then have him do that. But, if you’d rather be left alone to deal with your stuff, giving Daddy a little distraction can be good for everyone. Something kind of mindless that can be dropped at a moments notice, should the need arise, is perfect. A gift card for some new apps might be fun too.

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #8:

The phone numbers list. It’s pretty easy to get word out about Baby’s birth with all the social media options these days. Even my grandma is on Facebook. Heck, both of my grandmas are, and my grandpa! But, some people deserve an actual phone call or picture message at least. Make sure all those extra special people (and the ones not on social media – like my dad) are included on the list so no one gets forgotten or missed.

DADDY’S HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVE #9:

Any other checklists or special instructions you want Daddy to know. Discuss certain medical procedures and complications with your birth partner beforehand and in what ways you would like to handle them. Heaven forbid you hemorrhage or something; but, there is the chance you won’t be able to make decisions for yourself at some point during the childbirth process. Having someone else aware of your wants and wishes can help in difficult situations where life-altering decisions have to be made right now.

Of course, it’s not a bad idea to ask Daddy if there’s anything else he wants to take… After all, it is Daddy’s Hospital Bag. The Boy Scouts knew what they were doing when they chose the motto “Be Prepared!” If you are, it will make your first few days with baby more enjoyable for your entire family.

Congratulations again on your little bundle of joy! Now, go pack those bags!

Feeling confident about what you’re packing for you and baby? Take a look at the things I wish I had packed the first two times I had a baby! You might be surprised by what WASN’T provided the second time.

Comments

These are all really great tips. I wish I would have had this list when my daughter was born. I was so unprepared…and I think my now ex-husband was even more unprepared. Having a bag of snacks would have been great. I am not a fan of vending machine food and hospital food is even worse.

Thanks, Shelly. We definitely learned the hard way the first couple times. It was a huge surprise when we changed hospitals and things were SOO different! Live and learn, right?! Thanks for stopping by!

I will have to keep this in mind the next time someone in family would be expecting a baby. My daughter just gave birth two months ago, and I was witness of how my son in law shuffled back and forth from home to hospital to get some of his stuff.

I know my husband and my mom made a couple trips each for things that we’d forgotten. It seems inevitable, but the list seemed to have helped my brother and sister-in-law when their first baby was born. Thanks for visiting, Eileen!

Krista…Amen to what you just said. Very helpful post (12 weeks here and DH and I are excited! And I loved this post). My mother has been a nurse for 40 years-still is (day time and night shift in the ER and ICU, also worked in labor and the nursery throughout her career) and she can even testify that there are some crappy nurses out there (and there are..let’s face it. Just like there are crappy dentists, doctors, lawyers, computer techs…there will always be terrible workers, and there will always be wonderful workers).

Krista even stated in previous comments that she wasn’t talking about all nurses. There are some amazing nurses out there (like my mom)! Just know every hospital and every nurse is different. Also, every person is different, maybe you can handle the lack of sleep, but some people, after extensive labor just want to sleep for 2 hours!

Thanks, Ashley. I’m glad you found it helpful. Congratulations on your little one! What an exciting time for you and your family! My last two babies were born at the same hospital, the last one after I had written this post. My experience with him was so much better than the one with my previous baby. You are so right! There are just some nurses better at their jobs than others, even in the same hospital! My nurses from my last stay were fantastic.

Obviously checking vitals is important, and not the interruptions I was referring to. Most nurses do what they need to and are in and out with minimal interruptions. However, there always seems to be the one insisting I spend 45 minutes every two hours trying to rouse my newborn so he can breastfeed for half an hour. Twenty minutes is not enough time for me to get any kind of rest. As you mentioned, labor and delivery are a big life change – for mom too. I think my baby will be just fine if he goes three or four hours between one or two feeding sessions that first night so I can get a whole REM cycle and think more clearly.

I have had excellent night nurses… and some not so excellent ones. When I’m beyond exhausted, I will be super grateful if my nurse holds my flu shot until the sun is up instead of coming in an extra time. The nurses who make a little effort to allow you a little extra time between interruptions are godsends. I hope you’re one of them.

No dumb questions, I was terrified the first time around! Labor and delivery is a complex and unpredictable process, every one is different. If you want in-depth information, I’d suggest you ask your doctor. They’ll know your specific situation and what mostly-likely scenarios might come up. There are different risks for every situation – gestational diabetes, multiples, or any other complications you may be facing. My first baby, the nurse tried to start my IV so many times and they took blood for lab work and they told me not to eat before coming in… I totally passed out. My third baby, I had blood pressure issues again and my epidural had a few complications. You just never know. I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry and plan for the worst-case scenario. If the worst-case does happen, your husband (or whoever) will be worried and probably not thinking clearly. Help them out by letting them know what decisions you would like made in such an awful situation. A will is not a bad idea either, if you don’t already have one set up. And you’ll probably want one after anyway. Childbirth is amazing and miraculous, after my first baby was born I felt like superwoman, but it’s also the absolute hardest thing I have ever done – except maybe raise the kids… =) Congratulations! And good luck!

great list! One thing that will be in my hospital bag this time around for my hubs is ibuprofen! Between a LONG day and a half of induction and labor and a VERY uncomfortable couch/bed, he had a crazy headache and backache by the time my first was born. We asked the nurse for something for him and were told he wasn’t a patient so we were SOL. :/

Glad to help. After three visits, my husband has a list of things that are a must take! Some times he uses them all and some things we didn’t end up needing after all, but sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry! Congrats on the grandbaby! I hear they are pretty spectacular! =)

I’m knee-deep in Tonka trucks & Thomas trains. I survive our crazy days with Vanilla Coke, Sonic slushies, sweet snuggles and little giggles. When I tuck them in tight & kiss them good night, I get a little time to create & just be me.